Women's Volleyball

Endicott Defeats Eastern Connecticut, 3-2

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - In a back-and-forth match, No. 5 Endicott College upset No. 4 Eastern Connecticut State University, 30-17, 20-30, 30-26, 26-30, 15-11, in an NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball New England Regional match on Thursday. The Gulls (26-12) will face either No. 1 seed U.S. Coast Guard Academy or No. 8 Mount Ida College at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Warriors close their season with a 30-10 ledger.

In the opening frame, Endicott turned an 8-8 tie into a 13-8 advantage. Eastern Connecticut was able to cut its deficit to three (17-14), but it was as close as they would get as the Gulls won 13 of the next 16 points.

The second stanza started in a similar fashion, this time with the Warriors taking a 7-5 edge. The Gulls won the next point, however, Eastern Connecticut tallied the next seven for a comfortable 14-6 lead. The Warriors went on to cruise to the second game victory.

In the third game, Eastern Connecticut established a 16-11 margin. Endicott slowly chipped away at the deficit as it eventually trailed, 20-19. The Warriors captured the next two points, but the Gulls answered with a six-point run for a 25-22 lead. Eastern Connecticut ended the rally, but Endicott held on for the win.

The Warriors raced out to a 15-4 lead in the fourth, which later grew to 29-18. The Gulls delayed game point by scoring eight unanswered points. The late rally was not enough as Eastern Connecticut was able to force a decisive fifth game.

After trading points on service errors, the Warriors went ahead, 3-1. Endicott scored the next four points for a 5-3 edge. Eastern Connecticut tied the game at six and then took an 8-7 lead at the changeover. The Gulls generated a four-point lead that helped propel them to the next round of competition.